Moving On
by WearerOfCapes
Summary: Bainbridge and Fossil are having money issues at the zoo, and have to sell up. Vince is devastated that he has to leave his beloved Zooniverse, and Howard isn't too chuffed either. This is their journey from the zoo to Nabootique, and the way they took it all.
1. News

**A/N: Another new story, ye gods. How did I manage that? I am amazed at my efficiency. As of yet, I haven't the foggiest idea of how this story will go. There might not be any major plot if I keep going like this, so I'd better get planning. But you know the drill, anyway. I'm hoping I can get a good balance of cute and sad in this one, as so far I seem to always swing it one way or another. I will update as and when the inspiration arrives, but I'll try not to be too irregular. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my new story :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Don't shoot!**

**Also, thanks to GrowlyNoir and icey. summer02 for being amazing, always reviewing and helping to inspire me :D**

Vince was doing his daily rounds of the animal cages, doling out food to them. He was making slow progress, as he stopped at every other cage to have a chat to his friends. Currently, he was sitting in the leopard cage, cross legged on the ground as Kali, the female leopard, rested her head on his lap. He stroked the soft fur between her ears as she purred.

"How are the cubs?" He asked her. She simply purred louder, but he heard the words in his head:

"_Growing fast. They'll soon be full grown."_

"What about Amarah?" Amarah was the smallest of the cubs, and they hadn't been sure if he'd survive.

"_Amarah is better. Thanks to you."_

"No, Kali, it was you who made him better. You're his mum after all."

"_That is true as well."_ She lifted her head from Vince's lap and stood up. _"I must go, Vince. My cubs need feeding. Thank you for the food."_

"Okay. See you tomorrow." Kali nuzzled his hand once more and went into the shelter at the end of the enclosure. Vince got up and swept the bark chips off his jeans before leaving the cage. Next were the lemurs, and as soon as he opened the cage, they were all over him. Jai on his head, Asha on his shoulder, Kazumi climbing his legs, and Avani trying to get into his jacket pocket to see if he had any treats in there. He put down the bucket of fruit and tried to detach them all so he could get on with it.

"Guys, come on!" He said, laughing. "I'm trying to feed you." They stayed where they were, squeaking and chattering away to him.

"_We're so pleased to see you!"_ Jai cried.

"_We've missed you!"_ Kazumi agreed. Vince started to pick up fruit from the bucket and feed them where they were.

"I only came yesterday." He said.

"_Yes, but you had Hairy-face with you then."_ Hairy-face was what most of the animals called Howard, despite the fact that most of them also had hairy faces. They thought that humans shouldn't have facial hair, and for that reason weren't too keen on Bainbridge either.

"Don't call him that." Vince chastised them, but he had trouble stifling his laughter.

"_You don't talk to us when you're with him."_ Avani said.

"He thinks it's creepy."

"_That's because he's stupid."_

"He's my friend."

"_Well, he isn't ours."_ Vince suddenly felt a wet sensation on the back of his head, and Jai jumped down onto the floor.

"Did you just drop mango in my hair? Urgh, it'll be all sticky!" He removed the offending piece of fruit and chucked it down. Jai managed to look ashamed, and went to sit on the rope frame in the corner.

"_Sorry."_ He muttered. Vince sighed.

"It doesn't matter." He kept feeding them the fruit, and Jai came back for some more. But a few moments later, Howard came to the door of the enclosure.

"_Urgh, it's Hairy-face!"_ Asha cried, and they all leapt off of Vince and hid in the shrubbery.

"What's up?" Vince said.

"Bainbridge wants to see us." Howard said. Vince nodded, emptied the rest of the fruit onto the enclosure floor, and left. He dumped the bucket outside the keepers' hut and followed Howard to Bainbridge's office.

* * *

They entered the office and stood opposite the desk where Bainbridge sat. Bob Fossil stood next to him, twiddling his fingers and staring at him with a strange look in his eye.

"So." Bainbridge began. "I expect you would like to know why I called you here."

"Well... Yes." Howard replied bemusedly.

"I expect you want to know what is happening."

"Yes."

"I expect you are curious as to the reasoning of this summons."

"Get on with it, will you?" Howard said, rolling his eyes. Vince just stood there, pulling at the dried mango juice in his hair, barely listening.

"Very well." Bainbridge cleared his throat and said: "The zoo is to be closed down."

"Again?" Howard looked sceptical, but Vince's eyes were wide and he was horrified.

"Why?" He demanded.

"Unfortunately, there have been several excessive areas of expenditure, and we have gone bankrupt."

"That means we spent too much money and now there's none left." Fossil put in. Bainbridge glared at him to shut him up and continued:

"There's nothing we can do other than sell up."

"But you can't sell the zoo!" Vince protested. "We won't have anywhere to go!"

"I'm sorry, but there is no other choice." It was the most human they had ever seen Dixon Bainbridge. He seemed ashamed. Remorseful, even. Vince felt an odd urge to pat him on the back and tell him it would be alright. But he knew it wouldn't be, and at the moment he was more concerned about the fact that he could lose this place. He loved it here. Suddenly, the office seemed stifling. He couldn't stand to be in here a second longer. He walked out, leaving Howard alone with his bosses.

"He's taken it badly." He said apologetically. "I'll go and talk to him." He hurried after his friend, following him into the keepers' hut. Vince went and sat on a chair near the window as Howard closed the door.

"Hey. It's gonna be okay, Vince." Howard said, walking over to him.

"No it isn't. We live here, in this hut. The animals live in their cages. The animals are my friends. What am I gonna do without them, Howard?"

"You'll still have me."

"Not much of a deal." Vince muttered under his breath. Howard didn't hear.

"And anyway, we can go into the city. We can get other jobs."

"But what about the other keepers? Where are they gonna go? What about Naboo? And Bollo? I don't want to leave."

"Look, just... Take it easy, alright? Calm down. It'll be fine. We'll find a way to sort everything out, don't worry." Vince sighed and looked up at Howard.

"We always do, don't we?"

"Yeah. C'mon. Let's finish the rounds together, right?"

"Yeah." Vince smiled and they headed off to feed the rest of the animals.

* * *

That evening, Vince went to visit Naboo. He knocked on the door of his small living area and waited. He heard a drowsy call of 'Come in' and entered. Naboo was lying on the sofa staring at the ceiling, a fug of smoke from his hookah filling the room.

"Alright, Vince." He said.

"Alright Naboo." Vince half-smiled and sat down on a chair across the room.

"What's up?" Naboo sat up to look at Vince properly. Vince decided to get right to the point.

"They're closing the zoo. What are we gonna do?" For a moment, the shaman's normally indifferent facade was shattered by a look of shock.

"Why are they closin' the zoo?" He asked.

"They've gone bankrupt. They have to sell up." Naboo fought to get his poker face back, although it wasn't easy.

"Okay. So why did you come to me?"

"I thought you might know what to do. I don't want to get separated from you and Bollo and all the animals."

"What about Howard?"

"And Howard, yeah."

"Look, I'm not sure at the minute. I'll think of somethin', right?"

"Yeah." Vince sighed. "It'll probably be alright anyway, won't it? They'll have some madcap scheme to get out of selling this place. Or me and Howard can help." Vince brightened up. "Yeah. It'll be fine. See you, Naboo."

"Bye." Vince wandered out, and Naboo was left sitting on the sofa in the semi-dark room, watching the smoke curl around him. Selling up, eh? He'd have to sort them all out, otherwise there was going to be trouble.

**Wow. Chapter one is over. I think I wrote it in the course of about an hour. I am so full of ideas today! Anyway, reviews would be awesome as I'd love to know what you think so far and I like finding out what people like about my writing and what I could improve on. Much love xx**


	2. No One Gets It

**A/N: So, I know I only started this yesterday, but I'm going to a load of college open days this week so I won't get anything else uploaded, and since it was written, I thought, why not? You love it really, you cheeky otters ;) Anyway, I'm afraid this story is going to go into darker directions again. I'm sorry, that just seems to happen to everything I do. Also, random piece of information: The names of the wolves are Dichali and Sisika. They're Native American names, Dichali meaning 'one who talks a lot' and Sisika meaning 'bird'. They may be wrong, cause I got them off the internet, but y'know. I tried. Anyway, I hope you like it :D**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine except the storyline.**

The next day was warm and sunny, something which seemed at odds to the general mood around the zoo. All of the keepers had been told the news, and there was an air of overwhelming sadness around. But Vince was only worried about one thing: no one had told the animals. So as he went to feed them, he told the inhabitants of each cage the bad news. Some took it okay, simply expressing their regrets quietly and slinking away. Others went crazy, screeching, roaring, growling. Kali banished Vince from her cage in case he upset the cubs. He trailed his way over to the wolf enclosure with their meat. He'd always felt sorry for the wolves; their cage was way too small for them. But they were always happy to see him. The alpha male, Dichali, and his mate Sisika trotted up to him.

"Hello, Vince." Sisika said, licking his hand by way of greeting.

"Hello." He stroked them both. Dichali looked at him, staring in a way Vince had come to recognise from wolves; it meant they were trying to gauge his feelings.

"There is something wrong." Dichali said. "What is it?" Vince sighed and shook his head.

"They're closing the zoo." He muttered. Sisika's ears pricked up, and her eyes widened.

"Why would they do that?" She asked.

"They don't have enough money."

"But this is our home!"

"You'll get to go somewhere else. You'll have a big enclosure, and you can run about. That's what you're meant to do. Don't you remember when you lived in the wild?"

"Of course I do!" She snapped. "But this is home! Don't you want us to stay?"

"Yeah, I do, I love having you here! But I'll have to go away too, and we'll still be apart."

"No." Dichali said. "I shan't go. I will not let my pack be moved." He sat back on his haunches and howled loudly. Sisika joined him, and soon the entire pack was howling their woes to the sky. Vince left the meat behind and walked out. He sighed and went back to the hut, where Howard was sitting reading some nature magazine. Vince didn't care what it was. Howard put the magazine down for a moment and said:

"Are you alright?"

"What d'you think?" Vince replied sullenly, crashing about with a mug and the kettle, trying to make tea.

"Look, I know it's hard. But we've had a good run at this place. The animals will go to other zoos, better zoos."

"I know that." Vince leant on the counter and looked at Howard. "But no one'll understand them there. I'm the only one who can talk to them."

"All the animals you've never met have coped fine."

"Yeah. But these ones..."

"They're your friends. I get it."

"They don't like you, you know."

"What?"

"The animals. They don't like you."

"I know that. You always tell me that."

"But they don't like you because you think it's weird to talk to them."

"Well, it is! They're only animals."

"They aren't _only_ animals! They're like us, they've got feelings!"

"They aren't human, Vince. You shouldn't be able to talk to them."

"I shouldn't, no. But you know, I guess I'm just screwed up."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"It doesn't matter, Howard." Vince abandoned his tea and left the hut again. Howard sighed, shook his head and picked up his magazine again. But he was distracted. He had known as soon as they got the news that Vince would be upset about the closure of the zoo. But not this upset. He had thought that he would spend the rest of yesterday moping and then give up, go back to his ordinary cheery self. It seemed like he had a stronger bond with this place than he'd known. And that was odd. He knew everything about Vince. To not realise that he was so attached seemed ridiculous. Still, maybe there were some things he only shared with the animals. Maybe sometimes he wanted to talk to someone who didn't work the same way as a human.

And anyway, who knew how Vince worked? If he worked like a human at all?

He was, after all, a mystery to everyone. That was part of the reason why everyone liked him, he supposed. An air of mystery tended to attract people. Whereas he was about as mysterious as a broom, one of those manky old ones used to sweep the leaves up in autumn. His thoughts turned to Mrs Gideon. She liked Vince and not him. What if it had been the other way around and she liked Howard instead? He drifted off into his daydreams, almost forgetting about his best friend.

Vince knew where to go. Bollo. Bollo was always there for Vince when he had no one else. He was warm and comforting and wonderful. He thought of him as a particularly hairy older brother. Opening the door of the enclosure, he slipped inside to his primate friend. Bollo was sitting in the corner, but immediately got up to give Vince a gorilla-hug.

"Vince, precious flower! What is wrong?" Animals seemed to have a knack for reading emotions. For a while Vince didn't speak. But eventually, he muttered:

"The zoo's closing, Bollo." Bollo let go of Vince and roared. Vince cowered away into the corner as the gorilla voiced his anger and despair. It was only when he noticed Vince's fear that he stopped.

"Sorry. I am angry. What happen?"

"Fossil and Bainbridge are bankrupt."

"So why don't we sell them?" Vince laughed.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."

"I bet they go for good price."

"Yeah, as long we gag 'em first, or customers'll be put off by the ranting and babbling."

"Let's go get them."

"I wish we could." Vince sighed. "It's not up to us, mate. We just 'ave to go along with what they say."

"That is shame. But you will stay with me?"

"I... I dunno, Bollo. I have to stay with the people. Like Howard. I don't know if you could come."

"Where?"

"We don't know yet. I want to stay with you. But they might not let you."

"Oh." He sat down in the corner with his arms folded. Vince went up to him, but Bollo shrugged him off. He was shocked. He had never been rejected by him before, and it wasn't nice. Bollo turned around, noticing the tears building in his human's eyes.

"Come." He ordered gently, arms open. Vince sat down in his lap and let the hairy arms engulf him. Now he thought about it, this could all go horribly wrong. What if they wouldn't let him stay with Bollo? What if Howard made him leave? He knew how much Bollo and Howard hated each other. They were jealous because each wanted to be Vince's best friend. And he knew that one day, he'd have to choose between them.

He stayed with Bollo until it was dark, before finally saying his goodbyes and going back to the hut. Howard was already in bed, but Vince didn't feel like sleeping yet. So he left his friend snoring. Anyway, it was one of those nights that only the most tired of people got a decent night's sleep; muggy, hot, and uncomfortable. Vince didn't feel tired. In fact, he was too awake. It felt like he'd had caffeine injected into his bloodstream; he couldn't stay still. He was agitated, that was what it was. And he was lonely. He sighed and sat down at the table. The typewriter was still sitting there, and it gave him an idea. The animals didn't understand. The humans didn't understand. So he needed someone who wasn't animal or human. Charlie.

"Charlie." He whispered through the night. "Hey, Charlie, I need you. I want you to listen to me for a bit. I need to talk to you." He listened for the familiar sound of bubblegum slithering over the concrete outside. But he heard nothing. "_Charlie_." Howard stirred in his sleep, and Vince lowered his voice. "Charlie?" He called desperately.

Charlie didn't come.

Vince put his head down on his folded arms and sobbed. Even Charlie was gone. He really _was_ alone.

**I told you it would turn into angst. God knows how I'm going to write something funny without descending into this. I've not started that one yet, anyway. And I want to ask a question: I've got one chapter of my IT Crowd/Boosh crossover done. Given my awful track record of doing two things at once, should I upload it before I finish this one, or concentrate on just one? **

**Reviews would be most welcome :) Much love xx**


	3. Animals Have Feelings!

**A/N: Yes, I got it up on schedule! Wow. And I've been listening to David Bowie all the while (Ooh, fashion!). If you don't know Bowie, go listen to Fashion, Ziggy stardust, Ashes to Ashes, and Life On Mars. That's just a small selection, but you'll get it. Anyway, enough Bowie. his chapter is a bit all over the place, but it does have a sort of plot (More so at the end). Which has got to be an upside. I hope you like it :3**

**Disclaimer: Yep, I own the Zooniverse. Don't I bloody wish.**

Vince woke up with his head down on the table. He sat up and blinked in the light coming through the window. Howard was already gone, and he thought he should join him. He stood up, stretched, and winced. Every bit of him ached thanks to his uncomfortable sleeping position. His eyes were sore. But he still left the hut in search of his friend. As he went past, he saw the sign on the gate: 'Closing Day!' Fossil's shaky handwriting took up most of the sad piece of paper. He tore it down and shoved it in the bin. Why should people know? It didn't matter. The zoo could carry on as normal for one last day. He left the gates and went to fetch some food for the monkeys. He chatted to them absent-mindedly, distracted by the feeling of imminent doom that hung over the place. He saw Joey Moose across the courtyard and waved to him. The other keeper came over and spoke to Vince through the cage bars.

"Alright, Vince." He said.

"Hey, Joey."

"What's up? You don't look great."

"No. I'm just... Sad, I guess. About the zoo."

"Yeah, it's terrible, isn't it?

"Yeah. I'll miss this place. I'll miss everyone."

"We'll all miss you, you know. You brighten the place up." Joey smiled, and Vince nodded.

"Thanks, mate."

"S'alright. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you." Joey walked away to get on with his own jobs and left Vince. The monkeys looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head. He hid the rest of the food around the enclosure, so they would at least get some fun out of it, and left. He had to go and see to the lion and the bats. He hated dealing with the bats. They were lovely creatures, not scary at all, but they were kept in a dark tunnel of an enclosure. Vince was never fond of the dark. Normally another keeper, knowing he didn't like it, would do it for him. But everyone seemed to be busy today. He decided to just go and get on with it. So he took the fruit to the cave-like cage and walked in. His eyes didn't have time to adjust to the darkness before he walked in. He walked into someone and yelled in shock.

"Who's that?" He called when he'd regained his sense a bit.

"It's Howard. You scared the living daylights out of me."

"Sorry. You scared me as well."

"Don't worry about it. Come on, I've fed them. Let's go." They turned around and left the cage, blinking in another bright day. Vince didn't look at Howard as they went back to the hut. But he felt like he should say something.

"Howard, I'm sorry I shouted at you an' stormed off yesterday."

"Don't worry about it, little man. I'm sorry I slagged off the animals." Vince smiled at the casual wording of his apology.

"Let's just forget it." He said. "I don't want to fight with you."

"No."

"But I'm really worried, Howard. Where are we gonna go? I asked Naboo, but I don't think he knows what to do either."

"I don't think any of us do. We'll work something out, don't you worry. I'll find us somewhere."

"I know. I just feel like this is home now. I wanna stay." Vince was trying to be brave, but he could feel tears forming in his eyes. Howard kept his head down and didn't look, trying to preserve his friend's dignity. By the time they got back to the hut, however, the tears were spilling over. Now it was Vince trying to hide, but Howard saw.

"Hey. Little man, don't cry. You'll be alright. I told you, everything's gonna be fine."

"But it won't, not unless we stay. I don't want to be alone!" He leant forwards to Howard, wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his green keeper's jacket. At first, Howard recoiled, but soon realised that Vince needed him. He patted his back awkwardly and said:

"You're not alone, remember? You've got me. We stick together, right?" Vince nodded and sniffed.

"Right." He echoed, voice muffled in the fabric of the jacket. He lifted his head and they pulled away from each other. "Sorry, Howard." He muttered.

"It doesn't matter. Let's just take it a bit at a time. And I think we need to go and have a chat with Fossil, don't you?"

Bob Fossil was standing at the entrance to the leopard cage with Naboo, a dart-gun, and a clueless expression. Kali was snarling at him, hackles raised, her cubs cowering behind her in the corner. Naboo was trying to warn him against the course of action he was about to take, but Fossil took no notice. It was Vince who intervened, running up to his boss and knocking the gun down so Kali was out of range.

"What the hell d'you think you're doing?" He thundered. Fossil shrunk under his fiery gaze, made somehow more fearsome by his red-rimmed eyes.

"Sorry, Vincey…" He muttered.

"You have to treat the animals humanely. Don't scare 'em, don't hurt 'em, and definitely don't go near the cubs."

"But they're just animals."

That was the last straw for today.

Vince snapped, like the elastic of his patience had been stretched too far. He was fed up of them talking about the animals like they were nothing. Like they didn't feel. He snatched the dart-gun and threw it away across the courtyard, where it skidded across the concrete, coming to a halt outside Bollo's cage. Bollo woke up and started to bellow. He woke the lion, the lion woke the wolves, and the wolves woke the parrots. Soon the courtyard was full of howling, roaring and squawking, and Vince stood in front of his terrified boss with an expression on his face that could have melted steel.

"Listen." He said. His voice was loud but calm. "The animals have feelin's too. Can't you hear 'em? They don't want to leave this place any more than I do! This zoo's never belonged to you or Bainbridge. These are _my_ animals, and _you_ aren't going to hurt them! Leave the moving to me, don't disturb me, and don't _ever_ say that they're _just_ animals again!"

Fossil skittered away towards his office, abandoning Vince and Howard with the animals.

"Alright, shh." Vince said. Only he understood the last quiet chorus of squeaks and grunts that made up the thank you. Howard just stood there for a few minutes, awestruck.

"Did you get them to do that?" He asked.

"No. I got Bollo to wake up, and after that it was just a chain reaction." Vince sighed deeply and turned to Naboo. "Listen, Naboolio, can you try to calm Kali down a bit? I want to go to the movin' van and see who he's already darted." Naboo nodded.

"Shall I come?" Howard asked. Vince nodded, and they made their way around to the van. In the back were three crates. They pulled them out and Vince opened the doors. Howard was hesitant.

"Are you sure this is safe?" He asked. He didn't want to be mauled by some woozy, angry wild animal.

"It'll be fine. They won't hurt you if I tell 'em not to."

"Okay. If you're sure." They crouched down to look into the first crate. Inside was one of the pythons; Maame. Vince stroked her head, feeling the scales slide under his fingertips. She had clearly been knocked out recently, and it would be a while until she woke up. They moved on to the second crate, and found Xin, the red panda. He was curled up with his nose under his tail, and Vince wondered if they'd just lured him in by disguising it as a comfortable sleeping place. He hoped so; he didn't think there was any need to drug them. Finally, they ducked down to look at the third crate. Howard nearly fell over in shock. Dichali the wolf lay on his side in the crate, his teeth bared and his tongue out.

"Oh, no." Vince breathed. "No wonder the wolves were howlin'. They've lost their alpha male." He reached in and stroked the fur on top of the wolf's head. Howard still looked nervous. Vince beckoned him closer and guided his hand towards Dichali's head, before letting go to allow him to feel the fur. Suddenly, the alpha growled in his sleep, and Howard withdrew quickly, nearly falling over in the process. Vince chuckled, and Howard joined him, mainly out of being so shaken. They calmed down, and Howard said:

"Should we put the crates back?"

"No, they'll panic when they wake up if they're in crates without remembering being put there. We need to wait until they wake up, and then I'll explain to them. They should be okay after that."

"Alright." So, talking nervously, they sat by the van, waiting for some sign of movement from the caged creatures. All the while, Vince's face was set in a worried frown as he tried to care for the animals who had always cared for him.

**I really enjoy writing about the animals for some reason. I have become particularly attached to Kali the leopard. No idea where her leopard husband is. Who knows? Anway, reviews would be fantastic, and would make me feel better, since I'm currently ill DX**

**Much love xxx**


	4. Goodbye, My Friends

**A/N: Hello! I almost got it up on time (ooh, 'allo) but I have decided that I'm going to upload this story on a Tuesday night from now on. I have really crap lessons every Tuesday so uploading this should cheer me up a bit. Also, Monday is Never Mind the Buzzcocks, so I don't want to be rushing so I don't miss that. And my other crap day is Thurday, so I'll upload Heels and Hell then. Hopefully you're okay with that, and I promise to do my best to update on time. I've even set an alarm on my ipod so I don't forget. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Bit angsty, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING.**

They worked long into the night, until the sun was gone and the stars shone their faint glow on the zoo. Floodlights illuminated the empty cages as Howard and Vince waited for the van to come back from its penultimate trip to the other zoo. They stood with their backs against the perimeter wall, leaning on it. Vince kept staring at the ground. Howard had tried to talk to him a couple of times, but he hadn't replied. His voice would just have caught in his throat and choked off his words. He kept quiet. The only ones left now were the lemurs and Bollo, who Naboo had persuaded them should stay. He hadn't been to say goodbye to the lemurs yet. Let it wait until the van arrived, he thought. But he knew it wouldn't be long. This thought brought a fresh wave of despair over him. He looked up at the night sky, trying to stop his eyes watering, and sniffed. Howard looked at him.

"You alright?" He asked, unusually concerned. Vince just nodded and turned away. There was a distant sound of gravel crunching, and the van came trundling down the driveway to the back gates. The keeper parked it up and helped them take out the crates. When they had them ready and opened, Vince headed for the lemur cage. Howard went to follow him, but Vince shook his head.

"No. Stay here." He ordered. Howard, knowing the sensitivity of the situation, complied, standing awkwardly by the gates. Vince walked straight into the cage, where the lemurs were getting ready to settle down for the night. They all looked up when he came in, and ran to him as soon as he had the gate shut.

"_Vince_!" Avani squeaked, launching herself at him. "_You're back! You didn't come earlier_!"

"No, I know I didn't." Vince replied, his voice husky.

"_We had to be fed by Hairy-face_." Kazumi grumbled.

"I'm sorry."

"_Why didn't you come, Vince?"_ Asha inquired.

"I was busy sortin' things out."

_"Vince, where are all the other animals?"_ Jai asked innocently. His big eyes were even wider than usual and his tail twitched. Vince felt a pang of sadness hit him, making his heart hurt. He squeezed his eyes closed for a second, willing the threatening tears not to fall. He opened them quickly and replied:

"You have to go away now. Remember what I told you about goin' to a new zoo? You'll be happy, I promise. You have to go."

_"No, we can't go!"_ Kazumi protested. _"We live here!"_

"I know. But you can't stay here. This won't stay as a zoo. They'll build somethin' on it."

_"Can't you come with us?"_

"I 'ave to stay with Howard. I'm sorry. I don't want you to go, either. And I'll miss you loads. But you have to do what I say now. Go out there to where Howard is. There's two crates; get into them. They're nice and comfy; they've got straw in and stuff. And then you'll go off to the new zoo."

_"But I don't want to go."_ Jai whimpered.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." They all jumped up for one last cuddle from their favourite keeper, before dropping to the ground again. Vince opened the gate for them.

"No runnin' off, okay? I'll watch you go. Bye, little ones." They all murmured their goodbyes before darting off into the night. Vince couldn't see them for a minute, but they soon emerged into the floodlight. He counted them into the crates and watched as Howard and the other keeper closed the wooden doors and carefully took them to the van. The engine started and Vince was still watching through the cage, his fingers knitted into the wall of wire mesh. His lemurs were driven off out of sight, and he didn't know what to do. So he broke down.

* * *

When the van had left, Howard breathed a secret sigh of relief. He was glad to have finished what had been a particularly demanding day. But he wasn't happy that the animals had gone. He'd grown to love this zoo, despite its many shortfalls, not least of which were Fossil and Bainbridge. And Vince… he knew he was already having a hard time just coping with the news. Who knew how he'd cope now it was actually happening? Thinking of Vince, he realised he hadn't returned from the lemur cage. He left the gates and went over to find him. He opened the gate slowly and peered inside. Vince was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up and his head in his hands, not crying, just sitting there.

"Vince?" Howard said. "Come on. I know you feel awful, but let's just go back to the hut." Vince looked up at him, sighed, and nodded. They walked back in silence. It was nearly midnight, and so they both got ready to go to sleep and went to bed. But as soon as the light was turned off, Vince was wide awake. He was quiet for a long time, but he heard Howard cough in the darkness and knew he was awake.

"Howard." He said quietly.

"What's up, little man?"

"I'm scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"I'll never see my friends again. I'm just gonna be alone."

"So what does that make me?"

"Sorry?"

"You've got friends, Vince. You've still got me, you've still got Bollo, you've still got Naboo. Don't worry about it. I know you'll miss the animals. But try to see things positively. You're normally so good at that."

"I know. I think all my positive's gone."

"Like an electron?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Science joke. But listen. Just remember that we're here, okay. We'll never leave you. Well, I won't. Where you go, I go. Sounds soppy, but you're my best mate. I'm not gonna leave you."

"Good." Vince smiled to himself in the darkness. "I won't leave you either. Never."

"Good." Howard lapsed back into silence for a while, and Vince thought he'd gone to sleep. But a few minutes later, he said:

"What would you think about moving to the city?"

"The city? Why?"

"Well, I think that's where Naboo said he was looking for a place for us all. Do you think you'd like it?"

"I dunno. Maybe."

"More clothes shops." Howard noted.

"Yeah. More people."

"More music."

"More to do."

"More space."

"Less animals." Vince pointed out.

"Oh, Vince. You know, it's not the end. If you keep remembering them, you'll be fine. A man is not dead as long as his name is still spoken."

"What are you on about?"

"A man is not dead as long as his name is still spoken. It means that if you keep thinking of someone, you'll never forget them."

"Oh. You've gotta stop sayin' these things to me, I just don't get them."

"Well, sorry. But you know what I mean, don't you?"

"Yeah. Thanks for tryin' to make me feel better."

"You're welcome."

"But I don't know if it'll work."

"Well, look, I'll tell you what. Try to get some sleep. Don't think about it. See how you feel tomorrow, and we can talk to Naboo. Yeah?"

"Yeah. Night, Howard."

"Night, Vince." Vince turned over and closed his eyes. But try as he might, he couldn't forget about it. So he tried to force his brain cell to change the subject. It eventually did, moving onto Howard. He was being uncommonly… well, sweet. Trying to help Vince instead of taking the piss out of his clothes. Still, he knew he had that side in him. He just tried to be too aloof, and half the time came across as a bit of a bastard. But it didn't matter, in the end. If he said he'd stay with Vince, he'd stay. He trusted him. But he still wasn't sure about moving to the city. The city was a big place. It was even scarier than the thought of being left alone. But he'd go if that was where Naboo told them they should be. He trusted the shaman. As long as they let Bollo come too, he'd have everything he needed.

**See, this is what friends are for. I hope you liked it, and please give me a review if you feel like it :)**

**Much love xxx**


	5. Time For A Change

**A/N: Hello! I'm a day late, I apologise, my French homework... overran, shall we say. It took ages. But I've been working at this since 6:15, so I hope it's good, since it's taken me two hours to finish. If there are any mistakes, blame it on the fact that I have backache and am desperate to get off this computer. Anyway, I hope you like it, enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I'm in a hurry, no, I don't own it.**

Howard was woken by a knock at the door of the hut. He groaned and turned over, ignoring it. It was too early. Let them wait. But the knocking continued and in the end he gave up and went to the door, bleary-eyed and grumpy. He opened it and saw Naboo standing there, the little shaman looking up at him, expressionless.

"What do you want?" Howard asked sharply. Naboo didn't say anything for a moment, and he realised with a twinge that he'd been too harsh. But Naboo was used to this sort of behaviour, and he wasn't surprised. It wasn't that early, but they'd both gone to bed late, and he was obviously exhausted. So he just calmly asked:

"Where's Vince?"

"He's still in bed. Why?"

"I need to talk to 'im. And you."

"I don't want to wake him…" Howard said cautiously.

"No one does, but you 'ave to. It's important." Howard nodded and walked off, leaving the door open for Naboo to come in. He went to Vince's bedside and shook his shoulder gently. His eyes opened almost immediately, like he'd been sleeping lightly.

"What's up?" He asked worriedly.

"Naboo's here. He wants to talk to us." Howard replied gently. Vince nodded and got out of bed. A few moments later, they were both sitting on the sofa as Naboo stood in front of them, arms folded, dark eyes boring into them. He unfolded his arms and dropped them to his sides.

"I think I've found somewhere we can go an' live. It's in the city, right in the middle. It'll be a bit of a change, a bit of a shock, maybe, but it seems alright. I won't be able to take you for a look around. You just 'ave to trust me. It's not huge, but it's bigger than this place." He gestured at the hut in disgust. Howard nodded, and Vince looked hopeful. But doubt seemed to overcome him, and he frowned.

"Are we all going to fit?" He asked.

"Well, you two will have to share again, but yeah."

"Even Bollo?" There was silence. Howard looked at the floor, sad that Vince couldn't let this go. Naboo just stared at him.

"Bollo's not coming, is he?" Vince said, his voice not weak as it had been, but angry and strong.

"He can't. Not to the city. How's 'e gonna adjust?"

"He's clever, Naboo, he'll be fine! Please, can't he come?" The weakness was back, the pleading. Naboo's expression changed the tiniest amount, pity alighting on his features for a moment.

"Sorry, Vince. It's just the three of us. We're leavin' tomorrow." Silence descended again and Howard looked at Vince with his eyebrows raised, asking a question that didn't need to be voiced.

"No." Vince said, all strength again. "I won't go without Bollo."

"You 'aven't got a choice." Naboo said, perhaps more firmly than he wanted.

"Sorry, Naboolio, but I'm not going unless you find some way of getting him to come." Vince stood up and walked out of the room into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Howard put a hand to his face and shook his head.

"I knew this would happen." He muttered. "I'd better go after him." He got up from the sofa, but Naboo shook his head.

"No, leave him to let it out. I'd better go and look at the landlord's contract, see if I can find a loophole that'll let us bring Bollo."

"Yeah."

* * *

Vince got dressed quickly and sat down on the bed, his head in his hands. He wanted to punch someone. He couldn't decide who yet, or who to start with, at least. He stayed there for a few minutes, until he heard Naboo leave the flat. He waited a few more seconds, then opened the door again. Howard looked up.

"I'm not even going to ask if you're okay." He said.

"No. I'm going out."

"Where?"

"To look around town for a bit. Looks like we're going to be in the city soon, I want to wander here one more time."

"Okay. Don't be too long."

"I won't." He left the hut, and walked out of the gates, taking the short road into town. The town was small, but there were a few shops, never with that much in them. Nothing of interest to him, at least. He just wanted to get out for a while. He couldn't go anywhere without Bollo. He was his friend. He couldn't just leave him. He wanted to rebel. To be something different to what he was now. Because, he had to face it, he was going to change. He would have to, if he was going to fit in with the city crowd. He'd seen them in Cheekbone, and they weren't like him. He was still too natural and average for the city hipsters. He had to do something. He looked around his surroundings, and caught the eye of a girl across the road. She was pretty, with big eyes and dark clothes. But what he was really interested in was her bright purple hair. That was it.

He would dye his hair.

There was a pharmacist's across the road as well. He ignored the smile of the purple-haired girl and went in, heading straight for the hair dyes. He knew that dying your hair to rebel was a bit rubbish and not really rebellious, but he didn't care. It was something. He looked over the colours. Most of them were too natural for him. There was a section of what they called 'electric' colours, but he wasn't sure about them either. He noticed a black dye on the bottom shelf, neglected and unnoticed by everyone but him. Black hair. He wasn't sure about it, but he knew he could make it work. And if he couldn't, well, that was what hats were for. He took the little box to the counter and managed to scrape the shrapnel of change in his back pocket into the right amount to pay. Then, he took his purchase back to the zoo. When Vince went into the hut, it was empty. Howard had obviously gone to talk to Naboo or Bob Fossil or someone. He went straight to the bathroom and took the dye out of the box, reading the directions and scrutinising the tiny bottle. He wasn't sure there would be enough. Never mind. It would have to do. He just hoped it didn't go grey instead of black.

* * *

Howard came back to the hut an hour later with Naboo, having helped him look through the contract for quite some time concerning Bollo. They walked in, and it was only as Howard was closing the door that he noticed Vince sitting on the sofa, a magazine in his hands and a towel on his head.

"Hey." Howard said, surprised.

"Alright." Vince replied, half-smiling.

"What's with the towel?" Vince's smile, such as it was, faded.

"I did something with my hair."

"Oh. Tell me you haven't cut it all off?"

"No. I dyed it."

"Let's have a look, then." Vince sighed and reached up to unwrap the towel. He threw it on the floor and sat there helplessly, his damp hair still hanging in rats-tails around his face.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" Howard couldn't say anything for a moment. Seeing Vince's normally sandy-blond hair raven-black was a shock to the system, it was true. But despite the damp non-style, it suited him. It was strange, but good strange. He felt a smile waiting to show, and let it.

"It's not horrible. I think it looks good."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's great. Anyway, Naboo's got news." All the while, Naboo had been studying Vince intently, just looking at the hopeless look on his face that immediately told him that Vince thought he'd done something stupid. But he stepped forwards and said:

"Okay, Vince. We found out that even though there aren't any pets allowed, I could 'ave a familiar."

"What's a familiar?" Vince inquired, head tilted to one side like always when he was confused.

"It's an animal guide any magic person can have. Shamans are included."

"So Bollo would be your familiar."

"Yeah. And he could live with us." Vince grinned hugely, seeming to forget his hair for a moment. He got up and hugged Naboo tightly, ignoring his squirming.

"Thanks, Naboolio. You're the best." Naboo waited until Vince had let go of him, before straightening his turban and continuing:

"There's one more thing; we're also in charge of the shop below the flat. The landlord's handin' over ownership. Says he don't want to deal with it anymore. So you two are gonna work there, alright? You need jobs to get you out from under my feet."

"Okay."

"Hang on, you didn't tell me this five minutes ago." Howard protested.

"I know. You okay with this?"

"I guess so."

"Good. As I say, we'll leave tomorrow. You two might want to get packing."

**Bye-bye, Zooniverse :( Still, we know where they're going next, don't we? And that's all good. Anyway, I'm rambling on a bit, so I'll be off. Reviews would be utterly wonderful :)**

**Much love x**


	6. IMPORTANT NOTICE!

**Hello, my friends.**

**I'm terribly sorry I have to do this, but I am going on a temporary hiatus. This week I have my French oral exam. Next week is my art mock, and then I have the Christmas holidays in which to revise for two weeks of other mocks. I should have time off during these two weeks to revise further, but I have an exam every single day, so I have to rely on now to get my revision done. Add to this the fact that every subject teacher is expecting me to do a lot of homework to get good marks, and I have barely any free time anymore. I'm so utterly stressed, and doing this is something I have to cram in between homework, and I don't want to do that, because not only do I not enjoy it as much, you don't get to see what I could write, just what I can manage in the hour I have spare. I might pop back up at the very start of the Christmas holiday to upload the next chapter of Heels and Hell which I should have done last Thursday, but apart from that I'll be disappearing for a while. I really don't want to, but I can't cope. I turn sixteen on January 27th. If I'm not back by then, I'll come back. I'll leave this notice here until I come back, and then I'll replace it with the next chapter. But for now, I'll have to say goodbye. Sorry again.**

**Much love xxx**

**Rach**


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